Sleep Issues When Starting Daycare
Daycare is a saving grace for many families. These facilities are a vital part of our society, and allow parents to hold jobs and fulfill their career dreams in order to provide for their families. These trusted caregivers sometimes even become as close as family, and are important people in your child’s life, as well! Your baby may sleep wonderfully at their caregiver’s place. However, for many families sleep challenges can arise after starting daycare. This blog will outline the ways you may work with your childcare provider to improve the quality of your baby’s sleep while they are under their care.
TLDR; communication, communication, communication!
Establishing a respectful relationship with open communication between you and your baby’s caregiver is key. You can simply ask them what the rules are for sleep timing and environment. If the provider owns a larger childcare facility there may be laws about where the baby’s sleep, or when they sleep, that they must follow. A cheatsheet, or a typed concise rundown of how your baby sleeps best is a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page.
I would ask these questions if your baby is struggling with sleep at daycare:
Can my baby sleep in a separate, dark room away from distractions?
If not, my follow up questions would be:
Can you add something over the crib such as a Slumberpod, to block out the light and some of the noise?
Can my baby be placed in a crib as far away from the action as possible while still being in the same room?
2. Can my baby use their sleep sack during sleep?
Another sleep association that will signal to your baby that it is time to go to sleep.
3. Can I bring my own portable white noise machine to be used while my baby naps?
This is especially helpful if your baby is used to sleeping with a white noise machine, and it is one of their established sleep associations. It will also help to create a sound buffer between your baby and the noises from the rest of the room.
We love the Lectrofan Micro, it is very compact (easily packed into the diaper bag) and does not need to stay plugged in for a nap!
Side note: it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations specific to sleep in a daycare setting in your own state. Just google “rules and regulations daycare + your state” and a document should come up where you can read through the specifics regarding sleep including timing and if they are allowed to use a sleep sack or sound machine.
Short naps are common in daycare settings. Ask the caregiver to give your baby about 15-20 minutes to fall back to sleep on their own *if they are already an independent sleeper*. If your baby always needs to be assisted to sleep at daycare, then you can request that they attempt to assist your baby back to sleep again after a short nap (less than 45 min) when possible.
Following wake times may not be feasible with a room full of babies. It can be helpful for you to give the caregivers set times for naps, or roundabout time. The schedule used at daycare does not have to be the same one you use at home. You can keep your baby on the optimal schedule for the days they are home with you. They may even sleep a bit more to make up for the busy daycare days.
At the end of the day, you may pick your baby up from daycare to find that they didn’t sleep a wink, or sleep was just a complete mess all day long. When in doubt, do early bedtime! As early as 6 pm may be necessary for some or most daycare days. Your baby can make up for the lost sleep overnight and it’s the best way to prevent a large sleep debt from developing.
It’s important to remind yourself that sometimes these things are just out of your control. You are a good parent doing the best you can, and that is enough.
If you’re starting daycare soon and need some support for that first week, sign up for the tune up package here!
